Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino on Thursday said that alleged drug queen Guia Gomez Castro has amassed around P1 billion from her illegal drug trade since 2001.
He said Castro, who won as barangay chairman of Sampaloc, Manila in 2018 but has been on leave since then, gave grease money and luxury vehicles to rogue cops and corrupt public officials to bolster her illegal drug trade.
The PDEA chief noted Castro had good deals with illegal drug traders, including the “ninja cops’’ or police officers reselling their seized drugs, as she bought these items and redistributed them without any questions.
Aquino said Castro was first arrested in 2001 for alleged possession of a kilo of drugs, but the case was dismissed.
After the dismissal of her case, Castro’s illegal drug business flourished even expanding her alleged narcotics network, according to Aquino.
PDEA has identified 17 drug distributors working for Castro, who reportedly sell two to three kilos of drugs in Manila alone.
“Castro enjoys the protection of some high-ranking officials and policemen,” said Aquino.
Aquino claimed that Castro directly gave brand new cars to her cohorts and so-called lieutenants during a birthday party without having them raffled.
Aquino said that it is very easy for Castro to hire new protectors after some rogue cops were nabbed, killed, retired or went on AWOL (absence without leave AWOL) due to her vast wealth.
According to Aquino, Castro returned to the country in 2018 but left for Bangkok, Thailand, last Saturday after receiving news that authorities are running after her.
Castro and her relatives have denied the charges and claimed that she was being accused without due process.
Aquino challenged her to return to the country to defend herself and prove her innocence, and perform her mandate as an elected public official.
LOOKOUT BULLETIN
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Castro will be placed in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) lookout list.
“We’ll issue an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) sa kanya even if she has left the country, so we can monitor her whereabouts” Guevarra told reporters.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete explained that ILBO is picked up by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
“An ILBO can only monitor departures and entry through our immigration counters. But it is also required for monitoring through Interpol channels,” he said.
On the other hand, he admitted the ILBO cannot impair a person’s right to travel compared to court-issued precautionary hold departure orders (PHDO) and hold departure orders (HDO).
The BI said she left the country last September 21 for Canada.
Meanwhile, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno urged the family of Castro to tell her whereabouts and explain the allegations against them. (Chito Chavez, Jeffrey Damicog)
